


Hero (Hell) Training

by peaceandtranquility



Category: Splatoon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:21:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29547852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peaceandtranquility/pseuds/peaceandtranquility
Summary: Agent 4 is trying to draw a comparison between Marie and Cap'n Cuttlefish to see who is the harder mentor to work under. She believes it's Marie, and cites several examples why. Agent 3 counters with her own experiences under the Cap'n, and ultimately Agent 4 has to agree that the Cap'n is a much harsher mentor. Unfortunately for Agent 3, the Cap'n has just prepared another course for her to train on, which may prove to be harder than the one in her memories.
Kudos: 7





	Hero (Hell) Training

**Author's Note:**

> I have given the Agents names (after a lot of thinking) which might change in the future if I find better sounding names. As of right now:  
> Agent 3 = Miyami  
> Agent 4 = Shikari  
> Agent 8 = Hachiko

Getting an apartment in Inkopolis Square was great…two years ago when the place was not the freshest place to be. When she moved in, the square was a place for quiet kids to take a breather away from the hustle and bustle of the plaza, though still close enough to hear any announcements on the tower. A few businesses held shops in the square; everything she needed to buy for her apartment was within a ten-minute walk. Now, though?

Miyami grumbled quietly as she walked through the city from her apartment’s closest supermarket –an hour’s walk away. All the shops she used to go to had shut down at some point in the last two years, and she’d somehow obtained roommates in that same span of time.

“It’s so hot…” Shikari complained. “Three, let’s take a break…”

Shikari (or Agent 4, according to Marie) got added to the apartment lease after convincing the landlord that having someone in the apartment was better than no one, considering that Miyami never seemed to be at home. Miyami only learned of this arrangement when she returned from the Metro with the intention to give Hachiko (Agent 8) a place to stay. She weighed her options, taking into careful consideration Marie’s relation to Shikari, and decided kicking Shikari out was not something she could do. So, now the three of them lived together in that apartment.

“We just left the store.” Miyami responded, already annoyed. “Besides, you were the one who said we absolutely had to go shopping right this instant. At noon. In summer.”

“I know, but I wanna rest!”

Hachiko looked between the two Inklings. “Um…how about we stop…and get something to drink?”

Miyami regarded her for a second before relenting. “Fine.” She looked around for a place to sit. “Let’s go over there.”

A few minutes later, they were seated at an outdoor cafe.

“Mi~ Why are you always so mean to me, Mi~?” Shikari whined. The waitress had just taken their orders and retreated inside the café.

“I am not. And I’ve told you before, call me by my full name.”

“But Hachi gets to call you that! It’s not fair! You’re so much nicer to her!”

“Well, obviously.” Miyami said. The waitress returned with their drinks, so she picked hers up to taste it. “Hachi’s my junior.”

Shikari didn’t retort right away as she took a large gulp of her drink first. “I’m your junior too! My number’s after yours!”

Miyami looked around, relieved to find that their waitress had returned to the interior of the café. No other customers were nearby either to overhear their conversation. She faced Shikari again. “Technically, you’re Marie’s agent. Hachi and I were both recruited by the Cap’n.” Miyami returned, settling back in her seat.

“You know what? Forget it.” Shikari grumbled. “By the way, what was it like? Being guided by the Cap’n, I mean.”

“Not that bad.” Miyami thought back to two years ago. “He did get himself kidnapped in the last world, though, so Agents 1 and 2 guided me through that.”

“Must have been nice. Marie didn’t give me that much advice. She even praised the Squee-gees over me! And she kept making these awful puns!” Shikari slammed her cup down on the table, causing Hachiko to jump. “Still, I guess she was just worried about Callie...”

“Yeah.”

“Well, what happened after you beat DJ Octavio? Not even Marie knew where you and the Cap’n went after that octopus was put in the snow globe.”

“What happened after?” Miyami repeated, a familiar cold pit settling in her stomach. She had to put her drink down; her hands shook too much. “Do you really want to know?”

“Yeah!” Shikari replied immediately, not noticing anything out of the ordinary.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll tell you.” Miyami took a few deep breaths, trying and failing to calm her nerves. Those days were over, she reminded herself. She took one last shuddering breath, and begin to tell her story.

* * *

The setting sun was beautiful as she stood at the entrance to Octo Valley. The Great Zapfish had been restored to its rightful place and DJ Octavio was locked away in his glass prison. She could rest, maybe go make some friends and play Turf War like she originally intended to do when she arrived at Inkopolis.

“Hey, Agent 3!”

She lowered her gaze and trotted over to Cap’n Cuttlefish. “Yes, sir?” She had nothing but respect for the old squid after everything he’d done to change her, a no-name useless kid, into the hero that saved Inkopolis. Not that anyone in Inkopolis would know, other than Callie and Marie.

“You’ve done some good work out there, kiddo.”

Miyami flushed with pride.

“Say, how ‘bout you try the training meant for the original Squidbeak Splatoon?”

“The…original Squidbeak Splatoon?” Miyami repeated. She learned about them through the Sunken Scrolls and the occasional tidbit of information whenever the Cap’n brought them up while guiding her. “You think I can handle their training?”

“I don’t think you can.” Cap’n Cuttlefish placed his hand on Miyami’s shoulder. “I _know_ you can.”

If the Cap’n believed in her so much, she had only one choice. “I’ll do it!”

* * *

“Wait, that sounds incredibly fishy.” Shikari said.

“Yeah, I know- “

“How did that naïve girl end up like you?!” Shikari shouted, slamming her drink down a second time. “It doesn’t make sense!”

“…that’s what you’re concerned about?” Miyami said, sighing. “Anyways, I was an idiot for agreeing. A stupid, naïve idiot.”

Hachiko reached out and took one of Miyami’s hands in her own. “What happened?”

* * *

“Alright, Agent 3. Here’s where we’ll start.”

Miyami looked at the Cap’n, then at the kettle in front of her. “Sir, isn’t this the first level? I’ve already completed it.”

“Ah, but you’re going to do it the way the original Squidbeak Splatoon would have done! Or do you not believe you can do it?”

“No, I can!” She’d already completed the limited ink challenges. She could handle whatever challenge the Cap’n set for her.

“Then, hand over your weapon.”

“Eh?”

“Sub-weapons too. And your ink tank.”

“B-but…” She clutched the Hero Shot closer to her body. “Going in unarmed would be…”

“Do you not think you can do it?” Cap’n Cuttlefish sighed and shook his head. “I believed in you, Agent 3, which is why I offered this training in the first place.” He turned away from the kettle. “Let’s get you home.”

“…” Miyami looked down at the kettle. She’d gone through the level before. It was easy. And limited ink challenges weren’t that different from being completely weaponless, right? “I-I’ll do it!” She threw her Hero Shot and sub-weapons to the ground. The ink tank joined them a few seconds later, after she took it off her back.

“That’s more like it, Agent 3. Alright...ready? Go!”

* * *

“Guess how long it took me to get through.” Miyami said dryly. “Go on, guess.”

“An hour?” Shikari guessed.

“I went in at sunset. It was sunset three days later when I finally reached the Zapfish.” Miyami said, shuddering again. “I was splatted over and over and over. Hundreds of times, probably. And you know what he said after I got back?”

“W-What?”

“I wasn’t done. To finish the original training, I had to collect the Zapfish from every level. Weaponless. It took me nearly two years to do everything.”

“I take back what I said about Marie being worse than Cap’n Cuttlefish.” Shikari said.

“I had to do weaponless challenges in the Metro.” Hachiko stated, ‘but now I do not think they were as painful.”

The trio quietly finished their drinks, paid, and left the café.

* * *

Shikari bounded up the stairs, ahead of the other two. She already had her keys out, skidding to a stop when she saw who was in front their door.

“Why the hell did you stop?” Miyami scolded, coming up behind her. “Oh.”

“Hmm? Oh, Agent 3! There you are!” Cap’n Cuttlefish hobbled over to them. “I was looking for you.”

“W-What for?” The memory fresh in her mind caused her voice to falter.

“For your next training plan, of course! You’re the only squid that completed the original training- “

Shikari shot Miyami a pitiful look. No one else had ever finished that hell-like training?

“-so, I thought, why stop there? Come, let’s go immediately!”

“I…uh…would love to but…” Miyami trailed off, trying to come up with something to get out of the training. “…but I have to meet…uh, Callie! Yes, I have to check up on Callie! In Octo Canyon, because Marie’s gotten busy lately! Yeah!”

“Oh. Why, that’s fantastic! The training location is actually Octo Canyon! I always knew you were my best agent, Agent 3! Let’s be off, quickly!”

Miyami stared blankly into the distance, the gears in her mind grinding to a sudden halt. There was no way out of it now, not with the stupid excuse she’d given. Giving up, she turned and started down the stairs. “I guess I’ll see you guys in a few months…” Cap’n Cuttlefish followed after her, pleased.

Shikari and Hachiko looked at each other, then at Miyami’s back. They felt bad for Miyami, but the sense of relief that washed over them since the Cap’n had spared them the hell training was stronger. They hurried into the apartment, just in case he changed his mind and decided they should also have to participate since they were also members of the Squidbeak Splatoon.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm perfectly aware that it is impossible to finish any level in Splatoon or Splatoon 2 Hero Mode without using ink. This story stems from another idea I had where the Inklings and Octarians fought in hand-to-hand combat rather than through ink. That one was a little far-fetched so I reworked the concept into Agent 3 being taught (forcefully) how to fight and survive against Octarians without any weapons.  
> By the way, Agent 3's reward for completing all of the levels in Splatoon inkless was her weapons back. That's it.
> 
> Callie and Marie will be appearing in the next chapter.


End file.
